Breaking the Balance
by rese
Summary: Admirers everywhere but how do you keep to your heart?
1. Chapter 1

**Breaking the Balance**

By rese

Pairing: Mulan/Shang, Mulan/Ling

Summary: Admirers everywhere but how do you keep to your heart?

A/N: Disney owns Mulan, Shang and the gang.

This practiced stillness. His emotionless existence. Everything was broken when she was around him. Yet nothing seemed to work properly without her. She was his total opposite in every way but he had to find a place for her in his life. She completed him. It was that simple. Unfortunately nothing else was simple with Fa Mulan.

Mulan sighed as the sun hit her face. This was it. This was what she wanted to feel like for the rest of her life. Even if Shang never liked her more than a friend, this indescribable warmth and the happiness she felt from it, that's how she wanted to be. Like the sun.

A child's laughter startled her from her haze, she was still on the road and a cart was coming her way. Mulan jogged off the road and sat on the paddock's fence. The child smiled and waved at her as the cart went by and Mulan laughed. Everyone noticed her now.

She looked back up at the sky and thought how perfect everything was at that moment. Everything else was a brilliant reflection of this sunny day. Well, excepting the whole Shang thing. But she was determined to forget about it for today.

"Mulan!" someone shouted from behind her. She turned her head, looking into the paddock to see who wanted her. In this good a mood she hoped it wasn't about work. She could really do without that.

"Mulan!" they called again and at last she saw a wiry figure running towards her. Ling. She smiled brightly, and waved at him. Ling had come to visit two or three (she wasn't sure) weeks ago and had decided to stay with them for the unforeseeable future. Fa Zhou was pleased, he had a man to help till his fields, Grandma was radiant, she had another admirer and Fa Li was delighted to have another person to cook and wash for. Really she was. Mulan was just glad to have a friend.

"Hey Ling!" she grinned at him as he puffed his way too the fence, collapsing on it heavily. For a skinny guy he really couldn't carry his weight. He greeted her in between breaths and asked what she was doing all the way out here. Well that certainly shattered her elation.

"Nothing Ling. I just walked too far. That's all. Come on let's go." And she grabbed his arm, forcing him to drag along behind her. "What? Mulan, no." He yanked his arm free. And rubbed it with care, giving her a glare. "Ok, now I know it's something. You never do anymore than you have to. Come on Mulan. You'll have to tell someone sooner or later. It may as well be now and me."

Mulan sighed heavily and grinned at Ling's expression. What a friend. "Really Ling, it's ok. If it was something serious I would tell you. I promise." Ling scratched his head. "Well ok. So long as you promise."

Still smiling she climbed the fence and skipped down the road. She might have stopped if she had seen the look on Ling's face but with her head full of Shang, the sun and home, little could be spared for friends who cared too much. Maybe more than they should.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Shang groaned at the sight of Wu Zhong. At least it meant he was nearing his destination. How was he ever going to make it up to her after the way he treated her? This place would just remind him of those horrible weeks, how could he have ever thought that she was a boy?

He kicked on, consciously avoiding the decent into the plains. If he could just stick to the mountain side maybe he could avoid Wu Zhong altogether. Good plan.

Shang had decided to see Mulan in spring but the army had required his presence at the northern border and so his duty had prevented any contact between the two of them. To say he felt bad was an understatement. Shang's guilt was heavy; and being his own worst enemy he would torture himself every night thinking that she deserved a better friend, that she had moved on or worse, that she had been betrothed and no one had told him.

Feeling slightly sick at those thoughts Shang increased his horse's pace. The sooner he could get there, the sooner everything would be sorted out and he could be sure once and for all just what he was to Mulan.

  


Ling's legs buckled beneath him sending the buckets rolling and the water running into the dry ground. Mulan gasped and made a quick effort to detangle Ling from the buckets and bamboo rod. Finally free, Ling got back on his feet only to find himself drenched and sparsely covered in mud. Mulan laughed at the sight making Ling feel a little better. If only he could make Mulan truly happy.

Unconscious of her friend's serious turn of thoughts Mulan reached down to get the water carrier and added it to her own full one. Ling meant well in helping but honestly it'd be better if he left it alone. "Uh, I think you'd better get cleaned up. I'll finish up here and meet you inside for lunch." Ling nodded with a look of disappointment on his face. He only wanted help. "Oh! and Ling?" Mulan waited for him to turn around, "try not to trip into any lakes on your way back." Ling smiled; he knew she didn't want him to feel bad but gods! Could he make himself anymore of a fool?

He trudged his way up the dirt road sighing every time he looked down at his clothes. Aiya. He was an embarrassment to himself. Ling frowned at his thoughts; he had to be positive if he was going to win over Mulan. At least she was already his friend. And she seemed pretty happy to have him around. Well, those points weren't much but they were something. Enough to keep him plotting new ways to show Mulan his feelings for the rest of the way.

  


Mulan bent down filling the bucket in one swift movement, pausing only to sweep her hair back. It had begun to grow long again and she scolded herself for forgetting to wear a tie.

She hummed to herself as a thought popped into her head. It would be damn fun to walk around on the ledge of the pond. So leaving the buckets behind she jumped up onto small wall careful to keep her balance. She wouldn't forgive herself if she arrived home as wet as Ling. One step, then two hurried into a medium pace and Mulan grinned, proud to have such perfect symmetry and centre.

Mulan looked up, confident that she didn't need to watch her feet and saw a horseman slowly approaching. He was tall and had a sense of grace and formality from what she could see of his shape as he wove between the trees on the edge of the road. A sense of familiarity overcame her and she went to step off.

Slip.

She had missed the edge and sent herself flailing backwards. No more the picture of balance and beauty and now she was soaked. "Aagh!" she held her dripping sleeves up and had to smile at what Ling would say.

  


Shang was nearing the village now and it was well before sundown. He'd made good progress despite avoiding Wu Zhong. Now all he had to do was to get rid of the tingling in his stomach. Nerves at his age and status!

He was surprised to feel like a boy again. A grown man should be afraid of his death, losing his family or his hair. Not of a woman who stood no higher than his armpit. But it wasn't her size or shape that had him concerned.

What if she rejected him?

All his fears came flooding back in one gush and he swallowed hard. She wasn't even around and he was shaken. Gods what would he do when they met?

There was the turn off to Fa Zhou's farm. Mulan's home. He swallowed again.

Maybe it wasn't too late to turn back.

Shang shook his head. No. He was _not_ afraid of the girl warrior, or the friend. He wouldn't be afraid of Mulan in anyway.

His stallion took him further along the road and Shang saw a lady by the water, balancing along the edge off in her own world. He saw her look up and stare at him but she was too far away for him to tell who it was. Probably just a servant.

The lady stepped off but fell backwards into the water and Shang had to smile at the sight. Maybe Mulan was raised by the klutzes on her property.

Shang quickened his horses pace. He was growing more anxious to see her the closer he got to the house. And the dragonflies in his belly weren't helping. He began to wonder if she had changed since their parting. She was certainly softer as a woman he recalled, "No" Shang shook his head, that was unjust; she was enchanting as a woman. Surely she would've grown only more beautiful.

Shang looked down at himself. He hadn't changed. Well not too much. The uniform was different and he hoped she would be proud of him. A promotion to general at his age and experience was unheard of and while it had caused a stir at the courts his deepest wish was that Mulan would be pleased by it. He wasn't a fool, he knew that he couldn't make her love him but he didn't want her to be ashamed of him. He assured himself she couldn't - being a general was a great honour.

He swallowed hard at the site of the house. His do or die attitude was beginning to waver. What if she –

A commotion and roar of laughter to his right shook Shang's thoughts away. He turned his horse about and gaped at the sight before him. Mulan was frozen in shock staring at him with wide eyes, dripping from head to toe and there stood Ling of all people about as wet and muddy as she, smiling at Mulan only to turn and see Shang his face morphing into disbelief.


End file.
